Chapter 88

(Will fix tomorrow, can't stay up to 'hawk' anymore.)

Du Mingzhu was starting to get restless again, and Du Ruo couldn't help but worry about Zheng Shi.

"Husband, I want to bring my mother over to live with us after the Mid-Autumn Festival, is that okay?" She was a married daughter, so naturally, she had to ask for her husband's consent for such a matter.

Jiang Li held her hand and walked toward the city gate. "Of course."

He smiled. "Actually, I had this idea before. Mother-in-law living alone at the Zheng family's side—although the uncles, aunts, and cousins treat her very well, in Mother-in-law's heart, naturally, you, her daughter, are the closest. Before, it was because the courtyard was too small to accommodate her, but now that there's room, it's only right to bring her over to support her in her old age."

Du Ruo's heart felt like it had suddenly been soaked in a hot water bottle, warm.

This era was different from the enlightenment of her previous life; once a woman was married, let alone supporting her parents, even returning to her maiden home required the consent of her parents-in-law and husband.

Yet Jiang Li had never restricted her.

"Husband, you're really good to me." Du Ruo shook his hand and said with a smile.

"You're my wife; if I'm not good to you, who should I be good to?" Jiang Li looked around, then pulled her under a willow tree at the city gate. "I can be even better to you, do you believe me?"

Du Ruo looked up at him with a puzzled neck.

Jiang Li pressed her fleshy head down. "Don't look at my face, look down."

After saying this, he took out two silver notes from his bosom and quickly stuffed them into Du Ruo's palm. "This is the twenty taels of silver that Lord Du compensated; keep it all."

Du Ren Mei had originally wanted to renege on the debt, dragging his feet and refusing to give it, but Jiang Li wouldn't leave him any face; whenever he saw him, he would ask for it with a cold face, regardless of whether anyone was present.

After causing a scene a few times, Du Ren Mei felt he had no face left.

He had no choice but to sneakily send the silver notes over.

Du Ruo took the money and happily tucked it into her pocket; with these twenty taels, plus the dozen or so she had earned from selling wild game and recipes, it was just enough to pay back the thirty taels she owed Clan Head Grandpa.

It was already late, so Jiang Li rented a carriage, personally sent her into the carriage, and then watched her leave with reluctance.

Actually, he really wanted Du Ruo to stay for the night before leaving.

But thinking that there were children at home, and that strange Mei Niang, he couldn't rest easy without Du Ruo sitting in charge, so he let her go back.

When Du Ruo arrived at Xiushan Zhen, the sun was almost setting.

The ox cart hadn't left yet.

The women on the ox cart saw her and all breathed a sigh of relief.

The woman sitting on the very edge reached out and pulled Du Ruo up, teasing: "Jiang Li's wife, you've finally come; if you hadn't come, we wouldn't have been able to go back tonight!"

How so? Du Ruo was full of confusion.

The woman opposite her burst into laughter and nudged her chin toward Old Tietou, who was driving the cart. "Look, it's all Old Tie-shu; he insisted that someone was missing and absolutely refused to leave. See, he made everyone wait for more than half an hour, and our butts are all numb..."

Old Tietou, of course, heard her words.

The old man laughed loudly, and the whip in his hand cracked in the air. "Old Jiu's wife, that's not right; we're all from the same village, so it's only right to look out for each other. If it were you who hadn't come today, I would have waited just the same."

"Don't try to fool me." The woman curled her lip. "Last time I didn't make it, and let alone the ox cart, I didn't even see a hair of the ox's tail. I think you're clearly biased toward Jiang Li's wife and just won't admit it!"

Other women also echoed in agreement.

"That's right, before you even gave her a straw mat to sit on; why don't I have such good luck?"

"Oh my, Old Tietou, I've known you for more than ten years, and I didn't know you were such a thoughtful person..."

Everyone was laughing and joking; it was just talk, and no one really thought Old Tietou had anything special for Du Ruo.

At most, it was just taking care of his wife a little more for the sake of Jiang Li, the constable.

People, after all, always suck up to whoever is in power; weren't they the same?

Du Ruo lowered her eyes.

Old Tietou was indeed quite good to her, even a bit beyond the feelings of the same village, but why?

Forget it, if she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't think about it; anyway, there was definitely no malice.

After getting off the ox cart, the sky was already a bit dark.

Du Ruo walked home chatting and laughing with the women on the same path, and hadn't walked far when she suddenly heard a heart-wrenching cry.

It sounded like Cao Shi.

Du Ruo was startled; could it be that Jiang Dabo hadn't made it and had kicked the bucket?

Several women looked at each other and hurriedly ran over to watch the fun.

A group of people came along the village road ahead; walking at the very front were two strong men, both Jiang clansmen.

The two worked together to carry a stretcher, on which Jiang Zongbao was lying.

Jiang Zongbao's appearance was truly miserable: his face was pale, his eyes were dull, his whole body was dirty and messy, and there was a large patch of yellowish-white stains at his crotch, emitting a nauseating stench.

The onlookers all covered their noses and followed from a distance, not daring to get too close.

Only Jiang Zongbao's mother, Cao Shi, didn't mind, supporting the stretcher and crying, calling out "my son," "my flesh," feeling as if her heart was breaking.

Du Ruo watched coldly from the sidelines.

It seemed Jiang Zongbao hadn't had a very good time during those three days and three nights at the Bone Pavilion, but she couldn't feel the slightest bit of sympathy—who told Jiang Zongbao to mess around with men and women?

Having such an end was all his own doing.

Du Ruo was too lazy to watch anymore and was just about to leave.

But she saw Jiang Zongbao sit up suddenly as if stimulated by something, giving everyone a big fright.

"What's wrong, Zongbao? Where are you uncomfortable?" Cao Shi asked hurriedly.

Jiang Zongbao turned his eyeballs stiffly, his face full of horror. "Ghost, there's a ghost! I saw a ghost! It's her, she's come back to claim my life!"

The onlookers began to discuss.

Some believed it, some didn't, and the vast majority felt Jiang Zongbao had been scared silly at the Bone Pavilion and was talking nonsense.

Cao Shi, however, broke out in a cold sweat and, in her anxiety, slapped her son's face hard, crying: "Zongbao, wake up!"

Then she knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing.

"If you want revenge, come find me, don't harm my son! He's still young and doesn't know anything; let him go, let him go!"

Now everyone was shocked.

Judging by the tone, had the Cao mother and son once killed someone? Who was it?

That was too terrifying!

Everyone took a few steps back in unison, keeping their distance, and even the two men carrying the stretcher threw it down with a 'bang' and turned to leave.

Jiang Zongbao was thrown onto his butt, his face wincing in pain.

He did wake up.

Seeing that everyone else was looking at them with strange eyes, the mother and son finally realized something was wrong, looked at each other, and hurriedly scrambled up in a panic, staggering home.

The onlookers also dispersed, but one could imagine that the Jiang Family First Branch would be the village's headline news again tomorrow.

Du Ruo turned and walked home.

She was also muttering to herself; as the saying goes, 'if you don't do anything wrong in your life, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking at the door at midnight.' Looking at Cao Shi and Jiang Zong's appearance, it was clear they had done many wrong things, which was why they had ghosts in their hearts.

Just didn't know who the person they had harmed to death was...

Entering the courtyard, Tie Dan immediately wagged its tail and greeted her.

Du Ruo squatted down and asked: "How is it? Did that woman have any strange actions?"

The dog shook its head, lay down on the ground, and closed its eyes.

"You mean, she slept all day today?"

The dog barked twice—that's right.

Du Ruo felt relieved; as long as Mei Niang was well-behaved, it would save her from having to spend energy dealing with her.

She went to check on the three children to ensure they were all safe and sound.

The family ate dinner and went to bed.

The next day, Du Ruo sent the filial offerings for Yan Pozi to the old house: ten eggs, the small half-bolt of cloth left over from making clothes for Jiang Wan and Chunhua, plus a dozen sweet potatoes—nothing more.

The old house was filled with gloom and misery.

Jiang Dabo was bedridden, unable to take care of himself, and had to be served for everything, making the whole family miserable.

Jiang Zongbao had been hungry for three days and three nights and had also been scared out of his wits by a ghost, so he could only take medicine to calm his nerves.

Cao Shi was also in no mood to work in the fields and was at home taking care of her husband and son.

Jiang Lian'er's chores had become much heavier, and she was slamming things around all day with a sour face.

Looking at these incompetent children and grandchildren, Yan Pozi felt that life had no hope.

Just then, Du Ruo came over to deliver the festival gifts; Yan Pozi looked down, and her old face became even gloomier. "Dalang's wife, is this the Mid-Autumn filial offering you're giving?"

Du Ruo blinked. "Is Grandmother complaining there's too much?"

She picked up a few eggs. "I know Grandmother feels sorry for our Second Branch, so fine, I'll keep a few for myself to eat."

After saying this, she didn't wait for Yan Pozi to react and turned around, walking away quickly.

Yan Pozi was so angry that her head felt dizzy; her body swayed, and she almost fell to the ground.

Ungrateful wolves, the whole nest is full of ungrateful wolves!

Du Ruo didn't care what she thought; anyway, the family separation agreement only said to give filial offerings during festivals, but it didn't say what to give or how much—wasn't it up to her to decide?

She took the eggs home happily and had Chunhua steam them that very day.

The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Du Ruo had Tie Dan go up the mountain again, catching two brocade-feathered pheasants and two fat rabbits, plus the jar of salt she had bought before, two bolts of fine cotton cloth, and some miscellaneous items, and carried them to Xinglin Village.

With so many good things, the Zheng family was delighted.

Zheng Shi looked and looked, and tears fell again. "A'Man, you don't have to always think about your maiden home; you should think more about your husband's home. Sending such a heavy gift, what if your son-in-law has an opinion..."

"He won't, Mother." Du Ruo hurriedly comforted her and spoke well of her husband. "This was originally my husband's idea; my husband said he couldn't get away at the government office and couldn't come to deliver the festival gifts in person, so he asked me to prepare more."

Hearing this, Zheng Shi immediately wiped away her tears, turned to the Zheng family behind her, and said proudly: "Look, didn't I say Jiang Mo Nian's son would definitely be a good one?"

The Zheng family also began to praise Jiang Li one after another.

Du Ruo struck while the iron was hot. "My husband also said he wants to bring my mother over to live with us!"

Zheng Shi was both surprised and happy, asking somewhat incredulously: "Really? Did the son-in-law really say that?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Du Ruo held her arm and entered the room. "My husband's parents passed away early, and the family is lacking an elder to take charge; could it be that you're not willing to manage things for us, Mother?"

How could Zheng Shi not be willing? She was dying to.

She had thought that after A'Man married out, she would have a lonely end to her life, but she hadn't expected the son-in-law to be so filial, and that she would actually have the chance to hold her grandchildren.

"Then when should Mother go over?" Zheng Shi felt she didn't want to wait even a second longer.

Du Ruo smiled, pursing her lips. "Mother, you're too impatient; you have to pack up, right? Wait a few days until my husband comes back, and I'll come with him to pick you up."

Mainly because there was still Mei Niang at home, and she had to be on guard.

After Du Ruo and the Zheng family went inside, the courtyard gate next door creaked open, and Liu Shi poked half her head out.

"Pfft, just a few beasts, look how happy they are!"

Liu Shi muttered a few words of disdain, then turned back into the room and said to her husband, who was drinking tea at the table: "His father, that A'Man sent a lot of festival gifts over; I saw there was even a jar of salt, which is a precious item."

Father Xiao's attention was entirely on the cup of tea, and he said indifferently: "If she sent it, she sent it; it has nothing to do with us."

He looked up at Liu Shi. "Don't be so short-sighted, envying others for getting a jar of salt. Don't forget, what does the Jiang family do? They are salt merchants by origin; let alone a jar of salt, even a vat of salt, as long as our son speaks up, wouldn't they send it over immediately?"

That was true; Liu Shi felt much more balanced inside.

Compared to the Jiang family's young lady, that ugly monster next door was nothing!

"But his father, the Jiang family's young lady hasn't come to send things for several days; you don't think this marriage will change, do you?"

Father Xiao laughed. "Rest assured, the Jiang family's young lady is so bewitched by our son that she won't change. It's probably because Chen'er is in seclusion preparing for the county exam these days, and the Jiang family's young lady can't see him, so she's too lazy to run over here. Once the county exam is over, she'll naturally come over licking her face again."

Liu Shi proudly straightened her back.

Her son was excellent—good-looking, good character, and even better at studying; let alone a mere salt merchant's daughter, even a princess would be a match for him.

Forcing her son to draw a line with the neighbor by threatening to die back then was truly the wisest decision.

The Mid-Autumn night finally arrived; Du Ruo was busy all day, making many osmanthus cakes and mooncakes with Chunhua.

Except for sending a portion to Clan Head Jiang's house, the rest were used to offer to the moon.

Setting up the incense table, placing the offerings, lighting the red candles, the family worshipped the Moon Goddess in turn, and then the mistress of the house cut the mooncakes and distributed them.

Although Du Ruo didn't believe in any Moon Goddess, tradition couldn't be lost.

The festive atmosphere was still necessary.

The only regret was that the two brothers, Jiang Li and Jiang Zhan, were not at home, so it couldn't be considered a true reunion.

However, the younger ones still had a great time; the family talked and laughed, and Du Ruo even told them the story of Chang'e flying to the moon, which left them stunned.

After the story was finished, it was already very late.

Du Ruo tidied up casually, then washed up and went to bed.

That night, the moon was especially round and especially bright.

She tossed and turned, not knowing why she couldn't sleep, and it wasn't until the rooster crowed three times and the morning light appeared that she dozed off for a while.

Suddenly, all the hair on her body stood up.

It was as if she was being watched naked; that sticky, extremely uncomfortable feeling seeped in through every pore of her body.

Du Ruo opened her eyes abruptly.

By her bedside, there was someone sitting!

"Ah!" Du Ruo screamed subconsciously.

The next second, the person reached out a palm and covered her mouth. "Shh, don't shout; I don't want to hurt you."

This hoarse voice...

"It's you?" Du Ruo's internal alarm bells rang wildly. How did Mei Niang get in? She had clearly bolted the door and closed the windows.

This person was not simple.

*Sizzle*, the candle was lit, and the flickering light shone on that peerlessly beautiful face, even more soul-stirring, like a seductive ghost from *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*.

"Mei Niang, do you need something?" Du Ruo pretended to be calm while moving to the other side of the bed without a sound.

Mei Niang smiled. "I said, I'm here to seduce you."

Du Ruo stiffly curled her lips. "I also said, I don't like women; I like men."

"I know." Mei Niang got up and stood, turning a circle in front of her. "Look closely, in my current appearance, isn't it enough to be a man?"